This beautiful Chantilly cake recipe has layers of moist vanilla cake, rich mascarpone-cream cheese frosting, and fresh berries in the middle. Great for getting together in the spring and summer!
INGREDIENTS
– 3 cups cake flour spooned & leveled (345 grams)– 2 teaspoons baking powder– ½ teaspoon baking soda– ½ teaspoon salt– 1 cup buttermilk at room temperature (240 ml)– ¼ cup canola or vegetable oil (60 ml)– 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract– ½ teaspoon pure almond extract optional– 1 cup Danish Creamery unsalted butter softened (2 sticks; 230 grams)– 2 cups granulated sugar (400 grams)– 4 large eggs at room temperature
INGREDIENTS
– 2 cups cold heavy whipping cream (480 ml)– 8 ounces brick-style cream cheese softened (226 grams)– 8 ounces mascarpone cool but not cold, remove it from the refrigerator about 20 minutes beforehand (226 grams)– 2 cups powdered sugar (240 grams)– 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract– ¼ teaspoon almond extract optional
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray three 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper and set aside. Mix cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
1
In a large bowl or measuring cup, mix buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and almond extract. Set aside. Beat the butter in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a large bowl with a handheld mixer on low speed until smooth, then slowly add the granulated sugar. After adding all the sugar, mix on medium speed for 4–5 minutes until butter and sugar are light and fluffy.
2
Stop to scrape the bowl bottom and sides after adding each egg. After the first and last two eggs, I scrape my bowl. Add dry ingredients three times on low speed, alternating with buttermilk. Avoid overmixing the batter by mixing each addition until combined.
3
Mix batter by scraping bowl bottom and sides with a rubber spatula. Evenly distribute the cake batter between the three pans. Bake the cakes for 25–30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool in pans for 20 minutes.
4
Cakes should be carefully removed from pans and cooled on a wire rack after being knifed around the edges. Add heavy whipping cream to a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or a large bowl with a handheld mixer. Mix slowly. Mix at medium-high speed until stiff peaks form when the mixture expands. Mixing heavy cream too much makes it grainy!
5
Make frosting while cooling whipped cream. Mix cream cheese in a stand mixer with the whisk or paddle attachment or a large bowl with a handheld mixer on medium speed until smooth. Mix mascarpone, powdered sugar, vanilla, and almond extract slowly. Stop to scrape bowls. To avoid mascarpone separation, do not overmix.